Hailey Baptiste Pulls Off Major Upset Over Sabalenka In Madrid Open

America has another women’s tennis star on its hands.

Spain’s Madrid Open is underway, and there was a major upset when the No.1-ranked woman, Aryna Sabalenka, took on Hailey Baptiste, who’s ranked 30th.

Unexpectedly, Baptiste ran through other competitors like Swiss Belinda Bencic, Italian Jasmine Paolini, and Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo, and it didn’t stop when she met Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. She dominated Sabalenka in three sets: 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6).

The first two sets were split, and with the third on the line, Baptiste didn’t fret under pressure with the vet and was able to save six match points.

It interrupted Sabalenka’s 15-match win streak, as her powerful swing was no match for Baptiste’s ability to switch between a smooth backhand and quick forehand easily, and took time for her to adjust. 

She eventually woke up in the last set as they traded leads until Baptiste knocked one right inside the line that Sabalenka didn’t go after. 

The tennis world may have been surprised, but after playing Sabalenka at the Miami Open recently, Baptiste was comfortable because she knew what to expect.

“I played her a few weeks ago, and it was kind of a close match,” Baptiste said in her post-match press conference. “I just got broken once in each set. So I had a better idea of how to play her, and how I should play, adjustments I needed to make. So I think I just went in trying to play my game, still doing the same things that I’ve been doing, but I had a few adjustments I needed to make from the last time we played.”

The super-competitive Sabalenka, who’s infamous for hating to lose, gave Baptiste her flowers and even noted the exact moment when the momentum flipped.

“Here in the first game, second set, I just double-faulted twice out of nowhere,” she said. “It felt like that gave her belief. After that, she just started playing more aggressively… she was playing brave tennis. What can I say? Well done.”

Now, Baptiste is prepping for her first-ever WTA 1000 semifinal match on Thursday against Mirra Andreeva. However things shake out, it’s only preparing her for an even better chance to dominate the Roland-Garros French Open in just a few weeks.

But in the meantime, see social media’s reaction to Baptiste upsetting the number one-ranked women’s tennis player in the world below.